As expected, Google on Wednesday unveiled a new version of its Nexus 7 tablet, which will debut on July 30.

Google will offer three version of its new tablet: a 16GB Wi-Fi model, 32GB Wi-Fi model, and 32GB 4G LTE version.

The Wi-Fi models, priced at $229 and $269, respectively, will debut on Tuesday on Google Play and via a number of retailers in the U.S. The 4G LTE version will launch"in the coming weeks" for $349 and will be unlocked, meaning it can tap into 4G service from AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon.

The Nexus 7 will also be available in the next few weeks in Canada, the U.K., Germany, Spain, France, Japan, Korea, and Australia, with more countries to follow.

The new Nexus 7 has the same 7-inch screen, but the update takes the display from 1,280 by 800 to 1,920 by 1,200, while the pixels per inch jump from 216 to 323, which Google said is the highest resolution for a 7-inch tablet and the highest PPI for any tablet on the market.

"Text and images look even sharper," and the tablet lets users watch movies and YouTube videos in native 1080p resolution, Hugo Barra, vice president for Android product management at Google, said during an event in San Francisco.

The new Nexus 7 is also 2mm thinner and 50 grams lighter than the original, while Google has reduced the bezel size, so it's almost 6mm narrower, Barra said. It will retain the same black-on-black color scheme.

The tablet runs a 1.4-GHz, quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset for a CPU that's 80 percent faster than the original tablet. The GPU also delivers 4x the graphics frame rate, which Barra said is "particularly great news for gamers." Google talked up the gaming experience on the new Nexus 7, which can tap into a new gaming hub - an app known as Google Play Games. Going forward, the store will also make it easier to find tablet-only apps.

Google also doubled the system memory to 2GB, which allows for more apps in RAM and speeds up app switching. There's also dual-band Wi-Fi, support for Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, wireless charging, and more.

The new Nexus 7 now has a 1.2-megapixel front- and 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, as well as dual stereo speakers, and virtual surround sound technology from Fraunhofer, which Barra said is like having a 5.1 sound system via the device speakers or headphones.

Despite these additions, Barra said the new tablet will provide an extra hour of power compared to the original, up to 9 hours of HD video playback and 10 hours of Web browsing and e-reading.

Android 4.3 Jelly Bean
The new Nexus 7 runs an updated version of Android, known as Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. Among the new features on Android 4.3 is restricted profiles, which allows for profiles with different levels of access. Google pointed to parents, who could disable the ability to make in-app purchases and only allow junior to open certain apps. But it could also be useful for businesses via retail kiosks or POS systems, the company said.

The OS also supports Bluetooth smart technology, which could - for example - let users pair an Android phone or tablet with low-power devices like fitness gadgets. Google demoed the tech using the Android app for the Runtastic heart-rate monitor, which showed an employee's heart rate climbing in real time.

Android 4.3 will also support Open GL ES 3.0, the latest standard for accelerated 3D graphics, while Google will release a new set of DRM APIs that allow for hardware-based encryption. One of the first companies to take advantage of that is Netflix, allowing for streaming in 1080p HD quality.

A full list of Android 4.3 features is listed above.

Android 4.3 will ship on the Nexus 7. Starting today, Google will also push Android 4.3 to the original Nexus 7, Nexus 4, Nexus 10, and Galaxy Nexus. The stock Android versions of the HTC One and Galaxy S 4 will get the update "very soon," Barra said.

Rumors about a new Nexus 7 emerged last month, with reports indicating that it was scheduled for a July release. The first Nexus 7 made its debut at Google I/O 2012, so it was overdue for a revamp.

This morning, a pre-order page for the new Nexus 7 (pictured above) actually went live on Best Buy's website. The tablets were not searchable via BestBuy.com, and the store later switched the "Pre-Order" button to a shaded "Coming Soon" option. But the pages remained live.

About the Author

Before joining PCMag.com, Chloe covered financial IT for Incisive Media in NYC and technology policy for The National Journal's Technology Daily in Washington, DC. She has held internships at NBC's Meet the Press, washingtonpost.com, the Tate Gallery press office in London, Roll Call, and Congressional Quarterly. She graduated with a bachelor's deg... See Full Bio

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